Emails for Quotes Unanswered

[Macinnis]

We bought 60 acres a year ago about an hour away from our current residence. I am planning on doing a 60x60 barn with 20x40 being a small apartment so the wife and I can spend the weekends there before we eventually retire and build a house.

I don’t know anyone in that area, it’s a really, really small town. It’s a pain in the *** trying to just get a list of potential contractors. Nobody has a website to showcase their work. I have started the process of calling some, but it’s sorta comical. Either they do jobs 10x the size of what I have or it’s a one man operation.

Being a web developer, this is highly frustrating. Lol

 

[Howling]

We bought 60 acres a year ago about an hour away from our current residence. I am planning on doing a 60x60 barn with 20x40 being a small apartment so the wife and I can spend the weekends there before we eventually retire and build a house.

I don’t know anyone in that area, it’s a really, really small town. It’s a pain in the *** trying to just get a list of potential contractors. Nobody has a website to showcase their work. I have started the process of calling some, but it’s sorta comical. Either they do jobs 10x the size of what I have or it’s a one man operation.

Being a web developer, this is highly frustrating. Lol

A website is a marketing tool for those looking for work. Many of the better contractors already have enough work coming to them through word of mouth referrals, etc. Challenge is finding that list of contractors with no website. Maybe find a site created by a high school student and ignored for decade.

I do software development and engineering consulting. My business website is 20 year old design, not updated in better part of a decade. As others said any email looking for costs first is not the clients I am looking for.

 

[CobyRupert]

Had similar problem this summer. Wanted to get a contractor to redo an apartment bathroom: New tub, toilet, sink vanity, some sheet-rocking, etc..
Why is it nobody now days can say: "No." ?
Instead they promise to call back or show up and don't.
Or they show up and look at job and promise to get back with a quote.....and don't.

So what would happen is you call a contractor who says they will show up in 4 -5 days to look...then doesn't, or if they come they say they will get back to you with a quote in 5-7 days....then don't. So you've wasted a week or two dealing with that guy. Then a week or two with the next. We tried with about 6-10 contractors. All zeros. Next thing you know 3- 4 months go buy messing around with people who can't say "No" , wasted your time and lead you on.

It's not just contractors. I see this with people unable to say "No" all the time. Instead they say "Let me get back to you", when both of us know you mean "No". What's the big deal? Are they afraid to disappoint (but only when face to face)? Do they need to be liked? What gives?

 

[3Ts]

Had similar problem this summer. Wanted to get a contractor to redo an apartment bathroom: New tub, toilet, sink vanity, some sheet-rocking, etc..
Why is it nobody now days can say: "No." ?
Instead they promise to call back or show up and don't.
Or they show up and look at job and promise to get back with a quote.....and don't.

So what would happen is you call a contractor who says they will show up in 4 -5 days to look...then doesn't, or if they come they say they will get back to you with a quote in 5-7 days....then don't. So you've wasted a week or two dealing with that guy. Then a week or two with the next. We tried with about 6-10 contractors. All zeros. Next thing you know 3- 4 months go buy messing around with people who can't say "No" , wasted your time and lead you on.

It's not just contractors. I see this people unable to say "No" all the time. Instead they say "Let me get back to you", when both of us know you mean "No". What's the big deal? Are they afraid to disappoint (but only when face to face)? Do they need to be liked? What gives?

Let me know if you figure this out. It is the same here. I'm wondering just how wide spread this is and if it's a generational thing?

 

[EddieWalker]

Let me know if you figure this out. It is the same here. I'm wondering just how wide spread this is and if it's a generational thing?

I'm guilty of meeting with clients and starting on their bids, and then getting distracted and putting it off, and then never finishing it. It's my biggest fault and something that I've been trying to correct, but it seems to happen at least once every year. They are always the more involved jobs that I have to do more thinking on then what I consider my more typical jobs. I do tell clients that I'm not the right person for the job when I realize it during the meeting, but those other times, it's on me and my fault.

Right now, I have four bids on my desk, one is for all three bathrooms in the house, and each bathroom is multiple bids because she's not sure how much she can afford, and wants to know what each version of the remodel will cost, so it's more like 9 bids for that one lady. I'm about half way through it and it's been over a month already. It makes my head hurt doing figuring it out over and over again. What really sucks is that I seriously doubt that she will accept any of the bids. Single mom with a son who just started college this year.

To make sure that I have work lined up, I tend to focus on those bids that I have the strongest feeling that I will get the work. It's all based on my impression of the clients when I meet them. It's also based on past history with previous clients. They have already proven to me that they are serious, so they get their bids first. New people, and those that question being able to pay for the work, or don't really know what they want done, or some other red flag, will always get put off while I focus on those that I have the best feeling of getting the job. This starts right off from the phone call and the message that they leave. If that comes across as something that I don't want to bother with, I might not even call them back. I have a limited amount of time, and even less energy to put into doing something that I feel is a waste of my time. After working a full day, coming home and doing chores and what has to be done around the house, sitting on the computer and working on bids becomes an effort.

 

[Diggin It]

Or they'll deliberately over bid ... by a lot for jobs they really don't want to do. Why not just say, 'I'm not interested in this job'?

 

[PILOON]

Since I did lots of renovation in the past I'm still a 'go to' for suggesting suitable contractors.
Also many are seasonal folks so they are not knowledgeable as to the local talent.

Presently all the excavation trade is booked for the next month or two, same for roofers.
Roofing is very seasonal and weather dependant.
Excavation trade generally is also into snow removal so seasonal changeover clogs the work schedule.

A friend has to delay a $900k project due to a shortage of professional plastering contractors and that is delaying the whole finishing trades.
He is in the public storage trade and this is a critical time of the year for him.

Excavators have always been a hassle as they all seem greedy and never refuse new work, they all seem to have semi finished jobs all over the place.

Now not helping the situation is a shortage of qualified workers.

Did I say I'm glad to be retired?

 

[coobie]

Welcome to 2019 the age of LAZY folks who choose to play with there I-phones verses hard work.

 

[Citydude]

I'm supposed to be mowing the lawn. But here I am on my phone....

 

[coobie]

I'm supposed to be mowing the lawn. But here I am on my phone....

And there you have it.LOL..

 

[Citydude]

And there you have it.LOL..

 

[quicksandfarmer]

I'm supposed to be mowing the lawn. But here I am on my phone....

Admitting you have a problem is the first step.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

Or they show up and look at job and promise to get back with a quote.....and don't.

This is the one I don't get. Guys who come out once and then you never hear from. Why waste both of our time if you're not interested in the work? I'd much rather deal with someone who says, "let's talk on the phone so I can figure out if this is a job I can do for you" before coming out, even if they end up saying, "I'm sorry, from your description that's not my line."

 

[Diggin It]

Had one of those too. Guy came out, we walked the whole job. He says he has his personal truck, no ladders or anything to measure with and that he'll be back in a day or two to measure and work up the estimate. Gave him three or four days, called him again, left a message. Never heard from him again.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I have been a contractor for thirty years. I have just about lost all interest. Things just get harder and more compicated for the little guy. Sure, technology can bring you business, but more likely it can also kill your profit and really muddy your waters. No one should have to work for little renumeration, when there is so much EXTRA work involved, beyond the actual job, and you have so much responsibility and financial risk at stake.

Funny and quite telling of the times when a contractor gets really excited about what appears a lucrative contract, and then when he finds out, there are strings attached, disappears.

 

[Barnbuilder]

It works both ways. Spend a bunch of time figuring materials and time. Type a proposal email it and never hear from them again.
Half the people think because it's a barn should cost next to nothing but materials come from same lumberyard as the residential job. Concrete is $4 sqft and you want the barn for $20? Not going to happen.

 

[grsthegreat]

I use my iPad for bidding both the electrical work and the generators I bid. I ALWAYS get my bids back within 24 hours....unless the job or the potential clients really sucks.

I just bid a new generator at 11:15 today and have already emailed him the proposal. People have told me my prices are not the lowest, but they never complain it took too long to get back to them.

I absolutely, positively will not quote over the phone or thru text or email messages. I HAVE to have a job walk. I used to have a web presence years back...caused too many problems including lost emails. I gave up my website years ago...do not miss a thing.

 

[Diggin It]

I absolutely, positively will not quote over the phone or thru text or email messages. I HAVE to have a job walk.

Again, I was not seeking a 'job quote' that would have required any kind of site visit. I sent a specific list of materials using their descriptions.

 

[mikester]

If you send a contractor an email, and he doesn't respond, it's because he's not interested. If he says one thing on the phone and still doesn't respond, he's still not interested. I decline half of the jobs that people call me about just from the call. Then when looking at a job, I probably turn down another half. I have a 3 to 6 month waiting list. If somebody is willing to take a job that everyone else is declining, you gotta wonder why? Then you have to ask why are they not wanting to respond? Is it the job, is it the client? or is it just not worth the effort to get paid doing it?

Another problem with email is SPAM. Once the business email address gets out in the wild you get thousands of emails daily from hot Russian girlfriends, African princes lawyers wanting to hide money, and pharmacies selling boner pills.

AND when you contact businesses using anonymous/disposable email addresses like HAPPYCAMPER52938 at gmail or Hotmail its you just dont get taken seriously because it looks just like the same email address used by the Russian girlfriends and online pharmacies.

Clients dont always check/use/answer their emails as well. Email ends up being a big time waster for business with very little return on time invested.

Use your phone to call the vendor.

 

[Oaktree]

Another problem with email is SPAM. Once the business email address gets out in the wild you get thousands of emails daily from hot Russian girlfriends, African princes lawyers wanting to hide money, and pharmacies selling boner pills.

Is email spam still a thing? I use both gmail & outlook addresses and I doubt I see a half dozen spam messages a year.

Now maybe these services just have really good spam filtering compared to having your own domain hosted by Godaddy or someone similar, but my experience is that spam is much less of a problem than it was, say 15 or 20 years ago.